


To Reach the Stars

by Maeple



Series: Touriko Week 2018 [2]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Kissing, Star Gazing, Stars, Touriko Week, Touriko Week 2018, i love them, let them be happy, prose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 05:00:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15744795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maeple/pseuds/Maeple
Summary: Yoriko had always looked to the stars--first for her father, and then for Touka.ForTouriko WeekDay 2 (posted ontumblr)Prompts:Roleswap/Stars/"That's no fair!"





	To Reach the Stars

Yoriko had always looked to the stars.   
  
When she was little, her father would point out the constellations, and she would gasp in amazement, head tilted up so she could raise a hand to the sky and trace the outline of the stars as if to draw the figure in the sky.

Sometimes he'd hoist Yoriko up onto his shoulders, so she could pretend she really was on top of the world, that the stars were but centimeters away from her tiny grasp. And she promised herself that one day, she'd reach them.

For a long time, Yoriko clung to her father's every word as if it were religion. He was always encouraging her to chase after her dreams, and Yoriko always told him she'd do her best. Now, Yoriko wasn't even sure if she believed herself, but she did then.

And every time, her father would tell her, "If you reach your dreams, you'll reach the stars up there. Look up, and you'll always know where you're heading." He said the stars were symbols of peace, clarity, dignity. They were a symbol of hope. Her father claimed they were the spirits of their ancestors, always above to guide them.

He once told her, "Yoriko, darling, the brightest stars are dead."

And that scared Yoriko.  _Dead_? The symbol of hope?

And then he said something that Yoriko would never forget, "They were once alive, but now they have to move on. They still 'live', though, even in death. They become beacons for those who are lost. And one day you, too, will shine light on someone; you, too, can bring hope to those who might need it from you. And they're there for you, too, Yoriko. They're always there; you just have to look up."

And Yoriko took his words to heart. She looked and kept her head up. Until all she could stare at was her best friend, Kirishima Touka.

Yoriko promised her father she'd reach the stars, she'd achieve her dreams. And one of them was Touka. She wanted to reach Touka, and when she finally did, she realized that at some point, she forgot the stars. She lost her way looking for them, when the whole time, all she had to do was look up. 

Touka was the stars, sometimes, except Yoriko could  _watch_ them without really  _seeing_ them for what they were, and it pained Yoriko to know that her best friend hid herself away.

And maybe, Yoriko realized, not all the brightest stars are dead. Touka was the brightest of them all, so very alive and well.

(Or maybe, it was metaphorical death her father talked about. And sometimes, Yoriko could understand that, too. She could understand how the brightest ones were dead, as Touka had only become a symbol of hope for her after she hid, moved on with her life, and away from Yoriko.)

But they reunited, lost bonds now tied together again, and Yoriko couldn't be happier.

Yoriko spread out a blanket on the grass and sat down on it, patting the spot next to her for Touka to join.

The blue-haired ghoul sat with an arm behind her for support, looking up at the midnight sky. They had both been awake and unable to sleep, so this was the next best thing.

And Yoriko watched her look up before looking up herself, her hand brushing over Touka's. She felt the ghoul grasp it gently, running a thumb over it. Yoriko blushed and looked back to her, her hair glowing an ethereal light color in the moonlight. Touka was unusually soft that night, but she always was with Yoriko, and with Yoriko alone.

"Touka..." Yoriko said softly.

Touka glanced back to her, eyebrows raised and eyes attentive.

"Why... why did you dye your hair blue?"

Touka fell silent for a moment, so the human looked down at their intertwined hands.

"... I..." Touka began, trailing off. "I guess it's kind of stupid, but... after I lost contact with you, I guess I... was a bit slow with realizing my feelings, but when I did..." Yoriko gave a small smile at Touka's reddening face. "I promised myself... that if I were to find you again, I would stay with you. By your side, y'know? If you would allow it, I mean..."

Yoriko's cheeks heated up, but she still didn't quite understand. "So... it was like... a pledge of loyalty?"

Touka gave a small nod.

"That's not stupid, Touka," she murmured.

Silence fell between them, settling like a cloud of dust that neither made an effort to brush off until Yoriko looked up again. She could feel Touka shiver next to her.

"I told you to bring a jacket..." she sighed.

"Whatever," Touka replied. Yoriko rolled her eyes. It wasn't freezing, but it wasn't a nice spring day either. Just a bit chilly. She would survive.

"Look over there," Yoriko said when she looked up again, pointing to the stars above. The stars she so desperately reached for time and again.

Touka looked to where she was pointing, though didn't make out any recognizable constellations.

"It's the constellation of Lyra, those six stars..." Yoriko whispered. Touka hummed in reply, pretending to know what she was talking about.

"It was Orpheus' lyre," she continued quietly. The thumb rubbing her other hand went still as Touka listened. "Orpheus' wife Euridice met an untimely death, and he went to the underworld to retrieve her..."

Touka gave a small huff from where she sat, eyebrows raised.

Yoriko glanced back to her with a small smile. "He played the lyre so well he made Persephone cry, so Hades allowed him to take Euridice, but on one condition: during his journey back to the living, he was not to look back."

"Let me guess... he did?" Touka asked softly.

Yoriko nodded. "Right at the end, he couldn't stand it, and he had to see if Euridice was even behind him at all--so he turned. She was there, but she vanished right after."

"Sometimes..." the words died on Yoriko's lips. _Sometimes I used to think that was how it was with you and I after that fateful day in the 20th ward._

But instead of looking, Yoriko averted her eyes, which never settled upon the truth of Touka’s condition. She looked away too soon, never saw that desperate cry of help, and Touka vanished from her life.

Touka seemed to know what she was thinking, so the ghoul let go of Yoriko's hand to cup her face, forcing Yoriko to look at her.

"Hey. It's okay now, alright?" Touka half-whispered.

Yoriko swallowed, face flushed from the intimacy of the touch. "I know, Touka... I'm sorry."

Touka smiled and leaned in, pressing their foreheads together. Yoriko stared into those dark depths, wondering if she could drown in them for a very long moment. Her eyes were like the night sky, and Yoriko so desperately wanted to be its star, to be the light that made it seem alive.

She wanted to reach the stars.

Touka's breath ghosted against her lips, their eye contact unwavering until Yoriko looked down to her mouth.

"You know..." Yoriko whispered. "When you were gone, I told the stars goodnight, because I knew that even if you couldn't hear me... the stars were the same ones you'd be under, too. It's kind of silly."

Touka smiled softly. "You sap..." she whispered before leaning in further. Yoriko mimicked her movements to kiss Touka on the lips.

So maybe, in her own way, she did reach the stars.

"I'm here for you, Touka."

"I know," Touka replied.

She reached Touka, and that was basically the same thing.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! :)
> 
> My tumblr is @[starry-alluras](https://starry-alluras.tumblr.com) and my tg sideblog is @[haisse-sasaki](https://haisse-sasaki.tumblr.com) !!


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